Ease the PCS process These HELPFUL HINTS and comments are provided by Active Duty service members or their wives, and are meant to help ease the PCS process. 1. FT. Campbell, KY: This is so awesome, and you are right, it is a horror story when you move, from the word "go"! · Have movers take this one white box, they keep it with them, and all TV remotes, screws, finials, WHATEVER might hold together your furniture or be the most important thing you will NOT be able to find at the other end otherwise, it goes in this box and you get to keep it with you when they drive away with all your stuff so you have it when you need it at the other end. · My own personal tip that I use and all of my friends do this too, and wonder how they ever did it before, you take your clothes drawers and approach them with a fist full of Walmart plastic bags...you pick up your tidy whities, drop them in bag, tie a knot, drop them back in drawer, now do this to your green socks, then your black socks, then boxers, then PT uniforms, you get the idea....the point is, when the movers pack your drawers, they just turn the drawers out, and you never find your stuff the way it used to be; FOLDED or ORGANIZED! Plus, if stuff doesn't all fit in one box, half your blue jeans will be in your box marked MASTER BEDROOM BLUE JEANS< the other half of your jeans end up in a box marked TUPPERWARE since it wasn't all the way full and your jeans made the perfect filler!!! Plus, when I go to unpack the boxes they have filled with allof my anally organized Walmart plastic bombs, I can just untie the knot, peek in and know what drawer to dump my stuff back into when I get to the other end!! Everyone that has tried this has loved it, plus it is the only time my husband ever gets to see me actually use all of those plastic bags I insist on saving! =) · I also take a brown magic marker made for furniture, and I go around with the dude who writes the notes about your furniture and when he says, LARGE HUGE MASSIVE GOUGE IN WOOD< I make him show it to me, if it’s not there I will refuse to sign the inventory if he doesn't fix it, if the gouge IS there, I take my wood pen and darken it.....so at the other end, any new raw light wood damage HAD to have happened since they loaded, GOD the movers hate me, oh well! · I also feed the movers, give em whatever they want, I just expect them to try to be nice to my stuff. · Oh, that is another one, I either load the car the night before, or have an entire small room or large bathroom where I put the stuff I am afraid for them to see, the liquor, grandma's silver service, guns, knives, CD's, stuff that seems to disappear, and that room is locked and off limits only to see the light of day when I do my DITY. Included in this stuff are blankets, pillows, a few pots and pans, etc, you know the stuff you will absolutely need when they tell you the rest of all your stuff accidentally got shipped to Korea!! · My other thing I love to do at both ends is tape up a piece of paper on each door and inside each room NAMING the room for them so when they are labeling the boxes, we are all speaking the same language, or when I say the bed in the GUESTROOM, the sign on the door that says GUESTROOM is a dead giveaway to which room I am referring to.....this way at the other end I don't need a translator to figure out WHAT room my stuff came out of, and when they are Unloading my boxes, I have the rooms all named so they can put the GUESTROOM boxes in the...GUESTROOM!!! I also have a piece of paper on each wall where I want the large furniture placed, their law is, they only place it ONCE, so I have a map ready for each room where I want stuff set down....I actually think they appreciate that one!! · So, you can see, after our seven Army moves, I am about to patent my moving methods!! I have also always arranged it that my moves be door to door, I REFUSE to do a move any other way....if anyone can avoid having their stuff go into storage, they really should! That is one extra chance for their stuff to be mishandled! 2. Parris Island, SC (MCRD): When they box your mattresses, put one set of sheets in each box. That way, when they unload the mattresses you already have a set of sheets to sleep on without having to open every box marked "linens"... We also put one set of plastic dishes and utensils in the master bedroom mattress box and a set small pans in the other mattress boxes...Without having to open all of the kitchen boxes you can cook and eat right away. |